Controller for motor-vehicles.



A. WINTON.

GONTROLLER FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APYLIOATION FILED JULY 19. 1907.

Patented 0013.4, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

vwowtoz damn;

A. WINTON.

CONTROLLER FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 19, 1907.

O Patented 0611.4, 1910.

Z SHEBTSSHEET 2.

avwento t is aside elevation, partly in section, of a steering post and wheel, with the present steering tube or post, with the separate por- To all whom it may concemr.

revoluble steering tube 2 is mounted within tion of the tube 2 causes the lever 3 to rock,

that shown in Fig. 5. By this arrangement 'rEs aLnxamma'lwm'ron,

' con'mopmm m gram our-10E. mowbavmerifl of Application filed July 19, 1907. Serial in). 384,576.

Be it known that I, ALEXAND R WINTON,' citizen of the United States, residing at- Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Controllers for Motor-Vehicles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing. v

This inventionrelatesto improvements in. controllers for motor. vehicles, and'pertainsf to a specific arrangement and construction vehicle.

In theaccompanying drawings, Figure 1,

invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is atop plan view of- Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is an enlarged vertical section taken c'entrally through the tions of the steering post removed Fig. 4, is a horizontal sectional view on the line 4--4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5, i's-a horizontal section onthe line 5-5 of Fig. 3f

In carrying out the present. invention a casting or box 1 is secured-'tothe vehicle frame or floor in any suitable manner. A

this casing or box 1 andthrough suitable intermediate mechanism '(nothere shown, as it forms no part of this invention) the rotaand this lever 3 is connected with the steering wheels of the vehicle in a manner understood and well known by those skilled in this art, and is not here shown because it forms no part of the pr ent invention. The steering wheel 4 has tshub. 5 clamped tofthe steering tube 2 by means of a clamping bolt 6, as clearly shown in Figs. 1' and 5. Passin through this steering 'tube 2 is a control er supportingtube 7, and this tube 7 extends through the casing or box 1 and is clamped by the lower end of the casing, as shown at 8, by aclamping construction like the controller supporting tube 7 is held against rotation-and is firmly secured to the box 1. 1 j A controller circle-9 has its hub 10 clamped to the upper projecting end of'the controller. supporting tube 7 by a clamping arrangethistube 7 serves .to'hold the controller of the steering wheel 4.

Passing through and rotatably supported within the controller-supporting tube 7 is a controller tubell, and passing through and 'rotat-ably-supported in the controller tube 11 is a central-:or .second .controller member, here shown in the form of a rod 12. As shown, the controller tube 1'1 projects above 11 is a controlling hand1e'13. The rod 12 projects-above the clamping portion of the controller lever13 and has secured thereto a controller lever or handle 14. The lower the supporting tube 7'and has secured there the tube 11 and has secured thereto an arm '16.- These'arms 15 and'16 are respectively onnectedin any suitable manner with the throttle and spark advancing mechanism (not shown) for controllingan explosive engine in a manner well understood by those skilled in this art. 7 The controlling circle 9 performs two functions, one function being to hold the controller-handles 13 and 14 in their ad- 'justed position, and the other function-is to act asan-index segment for the operator. The first function is accomplished by providing the inner edge of the circle 9 with 21 Wed 'e-shaped groove 17 and the controller .han les 13 and 14 with spring-actuated wedge-shaped plungers 18 which, by a friction-wedging action, serves to hold the handles in their adjusted position, while at the same time permittin them to be moved smoothly and to any. esired adjustment.

Attention is directed to the fact that the controlling handles 13 and 14 are located on opposite sides of the center or axis of the controller circle 9,'whereby confusion in the islikely-to occur where the handles are 10- catedon the same side of the center of the controller circle or segment, and therefore on the same side of the axis of the steering wheel. By this arrangement any interferencein the operation of these levers is prelocated on the same side of the axis of the steering wheel, one lever is often moved past ment similar to that shown in Fig. 5, and

the other, and it is then necessary for the circle 9 against rotation, and independent the hub 10 of the controller circle 9, and clamped to this projecting end of the tubeto an arm 15, and the rod,l2 projects below,

operation of these handles is avoided, which end of the controller tube 11 projects beyond vented. WVhere the handles or levers are operator to be careful not to have his hand interfere with the lover it is not desired to move, which is obviated in this arrangement.

Vhile the member 9 is here shown in the form of acomplete circle, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that it may be made segmental, and wherever the term circle is used in the specification or claims, it is to be interpreted as including a segment; likewise the location of the friction surface or groove 17 may be changed without departing from the present invention, the main feature being the provision of a friction surface, and a suitable location of the friction plunger to co-act therewith, although the location of the friction surface and plunger here. shown is that preferred -as the most convenient and the most effective.

Having thus described this invention,

what is desired to be claimed and secured by Letters Patent, is :1

l. The combinatlon with the steering wheel of a motor vehicle, of a stationary concentrically arranged controller circle having in its edge a smooth walled groove, of two separate controller levers projecting in opposite directions from the axis of the steering wheel, each lever having a spring projected plunger extending into and slidably engaging the wall of said groove fo the purpose described.

2. The combination with the steering wheel of a motor vehicle, of a stationary concentrically arranged controller circle having a V-shaped smooth walled groove in its edge, of two separate controller levers each having a V-shaped spring projected plunger entering and slidably engaging the wall of said groove for thepurpose described.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. ALEXANDER \VINTON.

'lVitnesses ,0. F. BAUGHMAN,

C. B. LINCOLN. 

